June 2 is the day to #WearOrange:
Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor when she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 — just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013 ... Orange is what hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others from harm. Orange is a bright, bold color that demands to be seen. Orange expresses our collective hope as a nation — a hope for a future free from gun violence.
We are not headlines or statistics. We are mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, and friends. We are teachers, dancers, athletes and activists. We are here and we are united. We demand to be seen and we demand to see change. There’s no more important time to get involved than this year, this summer, this day. Our country is at a turning point, and now more than ever, we have to fight for what we believe in. June 2nd is National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Americans across the country will be wearing orange. It may seem like a simple statement — but when we all act together, we can’t be ignored. Our social networks, television screens, and communities will light up orange, standing together for a future free from gun violence.
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Key statistics from The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence:
In one year on average 114,994 people in America are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, or by police intervention. 33,880 people die from gun violence.
Every day, 309 people in America are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention. Every day, 93 people die from gun violence.
Every day, 48 children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention. Every day, 7 children and teens die from gun violence.
In America, 1 out of 3 homes with kids have guns and nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with an unlocked, loaded gun.*
Wear Orange tote by The Maryn and Anna Ullman of A.E.U. Studio.
